Delta GEMS
GEMS, the acronym for Growing and Empowering Myself Successfully, was created in 2004 to help African-American young women realize their dreams. The program targets girls between the ages of 14 and 18 who are “at risk” of not achieving academic success for various reasons. In 2007, the Executive Board voted unanimously to rename the program, the Dr. Jeanne L. Noble GEMS Institute, honoring her memory and her lifelong commitment to promoting academic achievement and excellence.
The goals of the Dr. Jeanne L. Noble GEMS Institute are to: provide tools that enables girls to sharpen and enhance their skills to achieve high levels of academic success; to assist girls in proper goal setting, and decisionmaking;and planning for their futures-high school and beyond; and to create compassionate, caring, community-minded young women by actively involving them in service learning and community service opportunities.
Dr. Betty Shabazz Delta Academy
The Dr. Betty Shabazz Delta Academy provides an opportunity for local chapters to collaborate with or work independently on an educational program for “at-risk” young women between the ages of 11 and 14. The program offers mentoring, educational activities, and service learning opportunities to the participants. The Delta Academy Program’s major emphasis is social and emotional development, physiological transitioning and exposure to global ideas and learning opportunities.
Anchored in the basic tenets of the Sorority which are Sisterhood, Scholarship, and Service, the Delta Academy also features a Book Club for the girls and a health education component that imparts awareness on the HIV/AIDS disease. Recently, a new module on Parenting Education was added to involve parents in the Delta Academy Program.
EMBODI
EMBODI: Empowering Males to Build Opportunities for DevelopingIndependence The EMBODI Youth Initiative is designed to address issues facing African American males, ages 11 through 17. Issues related to STEM education,culture, self-efficacy, leadership, physical and mental health, healthy lifestyle choices, character, ethics, relationships, college readiness, fiscal management, civic engagement, and service learning are addressed through dialogue groups, presentations, community forums, structured activities, and mentorships. An EMBODI Curriculum Manual and A Best Practices Guide for EMBODI Programming are scheduled for release the 2011 Regional Conference Cycle.